Andhra Pradesh - Others   

Man on a mission

G. Nagaraja

PEDAAMIRAM (WEST GODAVARI DT.): Even as the country suffers from brain drain, M. R. Raju, a septuagenarian cancer expert, returned to his homeland from the US with a mission to fight cancer.

Opting for voluntary retirement from his last stint at Los Almonos National Laboratory after serving the US for more than a decade in several capacities, Dr. Raju returned to establish a cancer institute at this village, his birthplace. In collaboration with his doctor wife Subhadra Devi Raju, the expert set up a trust named after Mahatma Gandhi to fighting the prevalence of cancer for over three decades. The institute with state-of-the-art technology has pioneered cancer treatment by synergising imaging and cobalt technologies.

The affable and soft-spoken Dr. Raju is a hope for the cancer patients and the sprawling cancer institute, free of the hustle and the bustle of urban life, is a home away from home for them.

Kalam's visit

Attracted by the efforts of the anti-cancer crusader, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had visited the institute as a head of the Defence Research Development Organisation in 1996 before he became the President of India.

Dr. Raju, who is also secretary of the District Cancer Control Board, says the incidence of cervical cancer was found to be predominant among rural women of West Godavari district. Child marriages leading to pregnancies at a young age when the cervix was not yet properly developed could be the main causative factor for the occurrence of the malady. Higher incidence of throat cancer was observed among women in 30-40 years age group due to nutritional deficiency and consumption of spicy foods, he adds.

Poor awareness

"The word cancer scares people mainly due to the lack of information and our institute is trying to bridge this information gap by conducting awareness programmes regularly," says Dr. Raju.

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